Traits of hospice nurses compared with those who work in traditional settings

Compared 36 hospice nurses with 35 nurses who were working in traditional settings. Data from a battery of five tests ( Templer Death Anxiety Scale, Purpose in Life, Shneidman "You and Death" Questionnaire, Myers- Briggs , Cattell 16PF) revealed the hospice nurses to be significantly more assertive, imaginative, forthright , free-thinking and independent than their colleagues, who scored lower than the norms. The nurses in traditional settings exhibited a stronger preference than both hospice nurses and norms for the practical and no-nonsense in their approach to life. They were also more conventional and comfortable with structure. These data suggest a useful basis for hospice staff selection procedures as well as further study of the hospice as a setting evocative of autonomous professional nursing practice.